Making a roguelike possible?

[sirina]

Hello Community,

I have questions regarding fusion and would be happy for help
First, I don't know if my thread is in the right forum, I am sorry if it belongs somewhere else!

I am a design student. As my final project, I want to make a game. Making a game has been a wish of mine since I was a little child, so why not now?
However, there are a few problems that make me question if it would be a good idea:

1. I only have a few months of time for my project. (5-6 months)
Of course, in these months I would probably work every day for the game.

2. I am absolutely horrible at programming languages. Tried (& failed) to learn java a few times, even processing is too complicated for me.
However, I have a friend who's a computer scientist and would be willing to help a bit.

3. I don't know if making a roguelike is possible with fusion.
I have the whole concept of the game, the levels, the design, the characters figured out, I just need to make it.
My game should be similar to binding of isaac, with different rooms, different weapons, some items which change your health and stuff.

So - is this software the right thing for me? Is it possible to make a roguelike with no real programming skills with fusion? What do you think?
I would be grateful for your answers

[tompa]

Hi Sirina

I've been using Fusion and its precursors for a decade, I think this project will take you at least 6 months.

You could do it quick and "a bit" dirty with built-in features, and most will tell you to do so. You could also spend 2-3 months making a good foundation for your game and make an excellent product that fits your inner picture. Fusion is great for this kind of 2D game for a programmer as for a non-programmer because a lot of the engine is already coded.

Your friend might be confused by the graphical syntax and unable to help, yet the community is very friendly and helpful. I know for a fact that there are timer based custom movement examples on this site that could help you.



cheers,
tompa

[sirina]

Hey tompa,
thanks for your reply!
My game wouldn't be nearly as complex as binding of isaac, i thought about 2-3 levels with ~5 "rooms" each and a boss at the end.
However, is Fusion also able to randomly insert stuff? For example, there are 5 weapons in the game and I want a weapon to drop/spawn in a room, and it should be chosen randomly out of those five. Is this possible?

[tompa]

Yes, definitively.



Details
There is a proficient built-in random generator reachable in any expression. There's also at least one extension random generator.
It or they can be downloaded for free through the extension manager inside Fusion. Be sure to check copyright for each non-native extension.
The "create object" or "create object by name" is native and suitable to call from a generate random weapon feature.

[sirina]

Great
This program starts to sound like it's exactly what I was looking for.
I also made a thread on the GameMaker forums, but my game idea is apparently much harder to realize with it..

From your experience, what would you say is the best start for such a project? I guess it would be better to start with the "programming" and do the design stuff later on?

[tompa]

It's never wrong to insert an Active Object, make it move and animate it.

Get some happiness from early progression and understanding of the suite (Clickteam Fusion).
Others here will probably and happily be of better help to you in the beginning. Than I will be.



Good Luck,
tompa

[PBarwick]

Hi Sirina,

I'm making a game with elements inspired by roguelikes such as Binding of Isaac, it's made in Fusion too, and I find I can do anything I want to achieve if I try.

Here is a video of it, it is still a work in progress:



Let me know if you have any questions!

[schrodinger]

That looks insane!
Lovely graphics & dynamics PBarwick

@ sirina: Fusion is the tool you're looking for
It will help you pull out this game in the times you need,
providing you're willing to dedicate it the time it will ask you.

I'd start playing around with active objects, as tompa said,
that will be your main player/s and monsters,
and if you're going to make "fixed" or at least "finite" screens (I don't know Binding of Isaac but few screenshots seems to suggest so...)
I'd suggest als making them interact with "backdrops",
that will be the "borders" and "obstacles" of your levels.

Have fun with Fusion!

[sirina]

Hi Sirina,

I'm making a game with elements inspired by roguelikes such as Binding of Isaac, it's made in Fusion too, and I find I can do anything I want to achieve if I try.

Wow, your game looks really cool! +1 for the name too, cats are awesome.
Although the graphic style is different to mine, your game actually is similar to what I had in mind.

schrodinger, somehow I can't quote you so, yes, my game would also have fixed screens, so the screen doesn't move when my character moves.
Thanks for your tips, I will keep them in mind!

Do you guys think I should buy Fusion 2.5 or could I also develop my game with the free version? 80€ seems to be quite an investment for a broke college student (however I guess it would be doable when I do a ramen-only diet the following month).

[schrodinger]

Well,
if you'd like to pull out an executable at the end of the process,
I think free version wouldn't allow you to:
http://www.clickteam.com/compare-versions
From what I see in the list, I think you could be anyway able to build your game with the tools included in the free version,
but you'll finish up with an .mfa (fusion native format),
that will be ok for personal use or for sharing with other clickers,
but I don't know if you'd like something that could run on his own for presenting it as a final student project?

You may try experiencing with the free version for some time,
decide if this is good for you, eat some ramen meanwhile,
and maybe profit from some special discount that sometimes pops out (check out on Steam too..)